Patience is a Virtue (Promo Sample)

Amarino

Divorce, lost children in custody, gained weight, drama on set....Patience sighed and flipped to the next page of her magazine. Everyone else's drama seemed so tiny, yet there it was on the cover of articles that spanned miles and miles around the globe. Why weren't her troubles plastered around for people to read? She had plenty of troubles. She had depression for one.

"Get off your lazy ass and help me mop." Veronica was barely doing said job herself as she rolled the browning yellow bucket over some cracked tiles, the soapy water spilling over to soak into the cracks as she tried fixing her hoop earrings. Their priority quickly overruling her job.

"I've worked two shifts today." Patience watched her for a minute before letting a mischievous grin settle on her face. "Did you get that text Elton sent you?"

"Stop lying so much and at least lock up the doors." She waited a second hoping the younger girl would plead her case but she didn't, Patience only took her feet off of the conveyor belt and threw the now crinkled magazine down.

"I'm going on a smoke break." Ignoring whatever else her coworker had to say the girl rubbed her eyes feeling the effects of staying up for almost 48 hours. She could barely walk straight as she leaned against the stores back brick walls, her hands fumbling through her pockets as she searched for her lighter. When she came up empty handed she groaned and slid down the wall to a sitting position, her legs spread out enough to stop a walking person she hadn't seen.

Patience wasn't sure how she missed the woman because she wore heels taller then her feet that sat in her way. She didn't feel the need to move them for the the sake of making the woman's life easier though she only let her eyes slowly peer up the long legs until she noticed who it was she was looking at. "You missed our session." Dr. Amari's voice was just as deep and raspy as she remembered.

"I had work."

The Italian woman hummed before kicking the feet in front of her out of the way. "So did I." Sitting down next to the confused girl she looked up at the dark sky that was hidden behind the dimming streetlight. "When you miss a session I miss insurance money."

"That's just me helping out with the liberal agenda to kill capitalism." Patience could hear the woman chuckle but she was too tired to care she only patted her pockets again hoping she had somehow missed her lighter. She didn't have to search long however as a flame appeared in front of her face, long nails keeping it going long enough for her to lean forward and crisp the end of her cigarette. "Thanks doc."

"We aren't in the office, call me Julianna." Her dark eyes, the ones that spoke with the songs of jazz that always played in her office glanced over to look down at the girls eyes that sat a lot lower. "I brought you a drink." She continued without a beat in between. "I talked to your boss. He said you took on two shifts, I thought you might need it."

"You talked to my boss?" Patience looked up at the face that stared at her, for a second she imagined to see a human but Dr. Amari never looked like one. She was otherworldly. It left her not wanting to look for too long so she offered her cigarette and turned away, taking the small sweating plastic cup with her. She didn't bother saying thank you as she sipped the drink through the straw. It was strangely sweet but cooling to her dry tongue.

Taking what was offered to her softly, the older woman put it to her mouth and took a breath in. "I have the number to anyone you could possible know." Waving the smoke away she smiled for a second. "It's for your protection they say, make sure you don't off yourself." Handing the cigarette back over the doctor ran her tongue over her teeth and glanced down at the younger girls body before looking back up to see her head leaning back like she was about to fall asleep.